Why am I passionate about this?

While doing a college humor column I was hoping to be the next Art Buchwald, but instead ended up first as a lawyer, then a film critic and college professor. When I finally got around to writing fiction, the blending of science fiction and comedy was a natural fit (with occasional forays into horror and fantasy). I’ve done four novels and a couple of dozen published stories to date and when readers tell me they’ve enjoyed them I answer, “If it made you laugh, I did my job.” When I came up with the mashup title of “Father of the Bride of Frankenstein” I said, “I have to write this.”


I wrote

Father of the Bride of Frankenstein

By Daniel M. Kimmel,

Book cover of Father of the Bride of Frankenstein

What is my book about?

Phil Levin knew his daughter Samantha would marry someday. He wasn’t even surprised that it was another graduate student in…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Masque Of Manana

Daniel M. Kimmel Why did I love this book?

Robert Sheckley was a major influence on me as he mixed SF and humor, sometimes broadly and sometimes darkly. This “best of” collection – on which I got to offer my suggestions as to what should be included – really is the cream of the crop. I will always be grateful that I had the chance to meet him while he was still with us… and that before I could say a word, he thanked me for a blurb I did on another collection of his works. It was the perfect fanboy moment.

By Robert Sheckley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Masque Of Manana as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This volume contains the major short science fiction of Robert Sheckley.


Book cover of Wandering Stars: An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy and Science Fiction

Daniel M. Kimmel Why did I love this book?

This is a classic collection of Jewish-themed science fiction ranging from Robert Silverberg and Harlan Ellison to Bernard Malamud and Isaac Bashevis Singer. It includes William Tenn’s hilarious “On Venus Do We Have a Rabbi” written especially for the volume. Besides being entertaining it showed me how to weave Jewish themes into genre material without compromising either.

By Jack Dann (editor),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Wandering Stars as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Jewish science fiction and fantasy? Yes! The distinguished list of contributors includes: Bernard Malamud, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg, Harlan Ellison, Pamela Sargent, Avram Davidson, Geo. Alec Effinger, Horace L. Gold, Robert Sheckley, William Tenn, and Carol Carr.

William Tenn's futuristic story "On Venus, Have We Got A Rabbi" takes on the volatile issue of "Who is a Jew?"--a question certainly as timely in 1998 as he imagines it will be in 2533. Asimov's "Unto the Fourth Generation" takes on the issue of Jews as endangered species in America, a theme that is even more apparent today than…


Book cover of Oh God

Daniel M. Kimmel Why did I love this book?

Oy, forget the mediocre movie. George Burns was perfectly cast but the reason God appears as a little old Jewish man is that he’s granting an interview to a Jewish freelance journalist, not a white bread grocery store clerk played by John Denver. This book taught me that a writer could be laugh out loud funny and still have something serious to say, something I’ve aspired to in my own fiction.

By Avery Corman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Oh God as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For a God whom philosophers have proclaimed dead, it’s time for a little PR in this novel from the New York Times–bestselling author of Kramer vs. Kramer.
 “God grants you an interview. Go to 600 Madison Ave., room 3700, Monday, at 11 a.m.” When a struggling writer receives this typed note in the mail one morning, curiosity wins out and he finds himself keeping this mysterious  appointment. Soon he’s in an ordinary conference room with an intercom on the floor, furiously scribbling shorthand notes as he interviews God, a deity who badly wants to improve His public profile. Sometimes God…


Book cover of Envoy to New Worlds

Daniel M. Kimmel Why did I love this book?

Laumer’s satirical books about Jame Retief, a functionary in Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne, were inspired by his real-life career in the U.S. Foreign Service. They don’t have to be read in any order and mix short stories (as in this collection) and novels. Much of the humor comes from Retief ignoring the diplomatic niceties in dealing with the problems involving Earth and various alien races.

By Keith Laumer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Envoy to New Worlds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first-ever collection of Retief stories by Keith Laumer. Includes "Protocol," "Sealed Orders," "Cultural Exchange," "Aide Memoire," "Policy," and "Palace Revolution."


Book cover of Martians Go Home

Daniel M. Kimmel Why did I love this book?

Brown was another author who mixed SF and humor. Here he stood the alien invasion premise on its head. Instead of spaceships from an advanced civilization laying waste to our great cities, Brown wonders how we’d react if the invaders weren’t interested in mass murder or enslaving humanity but simply annoying the hell out of us. His little green men from Mars enjoy insulting and pestering Earthlings. After a while, “War of the Worlds” might be a preferable encounter.

By Frederick Brown,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Martians Go Home as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THEY WERE GREEN, THEY WERE LITTLE, THEY WERE BALD AS BILLIARD BALLS AND THEY WERE EVERYWHERE!

Luke Devereaux was a science fiction writer, holed up in a desert shack waiting for inspiration. He was the first to see a Martian - but he certainly wasn't the last.

It was estimated that one billion of them had arrived - one to every three human beings on Earth. Obnoxious green creatures who could be seen and heard (but not harmed) and who probed private sex lives as shamelessly as they exposed government secrets.

No one knew why they had come. No one…


Explore my book 😀

Father of the Bride of Frankenstein

By Daniel M. Kimmel,

Book cover of Father of the Bride of Frankenstein

What is my book about?

Phil Levin knew his daughter Samantha would marry someday. He wasn’t even surprised that it was another graduate student in her bioethics program. The surprise was it was Frank, a reanimated corpse who not only wants to grapple with the issues his creation raises, but also wants to convert and make a Jewish home with her… which is more than Phil and his wife ever did.

This sets Phil off on a journey that will include wedding planning, media intrusiveness, Jewish practice, a legal battle over whether Frank even has a right to exist, and whether “The Munsters” theme is appropriate for the reception.

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Beacon of Truth

By Randy C. Dockens,

Book cover of Beacon of Truth

Randy C. Dockens Author Of T-H-B

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by science fiction and by Biblical Scripture. That may seem dichotomous to some, but not to me. I have a passion for science and for Scripture because both bring understanding about our world from the microcosm to the macrocosm. My writings are a mixture of science and mystery with a science fiction feel and a Christian perspective. I like stories that show how truth arises even from the dark, confusing, and ambiguity of life to help one discover something about God they may not have considered before, and at the same time enjoy a fun, fast-paced, and exciting journey as they read.

Randy's book list on mystery with a science fiction feel

What is my book about?

Killion is born several generations after the establishment of the Cities of Light which now sprinkle each continent of the world, places where God’s spirit produces a tangible presence felt by all who enter. Yet he is raised outside these cities, under the direction of Adar, who teaches his followers that such cities are dangerous, run by cult leaders, kill any who disagree with their teachings, and should be avoided at all costs.

But circumstances cause Killion to enter a City of Light, and this begins his journey of discovery. What he experiences here doesn’t match what he thought he…

Beacon of Truth

By Randy C. Dockens,

What is this book about?

What if the knowledge of God's glory covered the earth like the waters cover the sea?

Killion is born several generations after the establishment of the Cities of Light which now sprinkle each continent of the world, places where God’s spirit produces a tangible presence felt by all who enter. Yet he is raised outside these cities, under the direction of Adar, who teaches his followers that such cities are dangerous, run by cult leaders, kill any who disagree with their teachings, and should be avoided at all costs.

But circumstances cause Killion to enter a City of Light, and…


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